A Lion's Heart Currently on Hold
by Genesis-Echo
Summary: Emily Pierre is in some sort of trouble and her parents decided to entrust her to the local werewolf pack for her protection. The pack just happens to be the Columbia Basin Pack. Emily is a 'walker' and so she instantly bonds with Mercy. She isn't a coyote, but a Lion. Could this cause more trouble's within the pack? A coyote seemed bad enough. And what kind of trouble is she in?


******Disclaimer:** This world and it's character's belong to Patricia Briggs, only my characters belong to me. I apologize if her characters don't seem accurate but I did my best...

a side note the setting is place a bit after river marked.

Enjoy~ as i have enjoyed writing it :)

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**Chapter 1**

Emily Pierre lie in the backyard staring up at the night sky. She sighed as she listened to the distant crickets by the river. The waxing moon was almost full, maybe tomorrow would be the full moon. She started humming to herself, a song that was recognizable but she couldn't name it.

"We're leaving now," Emily's mother called standing on the porch, her father stood at the threshold wearing a deep frown. Emily continued to hum; she raised her hand waving to the wrong direction. She could hear her mother's disappointed sigh, and her father mutter something. She chose not to listen in.

"At least come inside, visit with the people you're staying with," She suggested, though it sounded half hearted to Emily.

Emily dropped her hand, letting it rest on her stomach.

"Let's go, you can call her in the morning," She heard her father say. Their footsteps retreated and the porch doors were shut.

Ten minutes passed.

"Do you hate them now?" Emily tried not to act startled, but her heart did jerk. She hadn't heard her approach, or maybe she wasn't listening for it. Emily tilted her head so she saw the porch upside down.

"No." She found herself replying, and surprised that it was the truth. She did still love them, even if they weren't her actual parents. She was just hurt that they weren't and that they were suddenly leaving her at a stranger's once they told her that she wasn't actually their child.

"I understand your situation, I went through something similar." She continued to try and comfort Emily, telling the truth as she did.

Emily rolled over and pushed herself to kneel on the grass. She was alone, sitting on the porch steps, her hands folded in her lap. The woman had dark features, Native American but not pureblood, with long straight black hair, and dark eyes. Even in the dark of the night Emily could see her, she wore worn jeans, stained by engine grease, and a black t-shirt sporting some band Emily didn't recognize.

"You don't have to comfort me," Emily forced a smile, her eyes stung with the threat of tears, "This won't affect my relationship with them in the long run."

Emily could've been her cousin, she wasn't quiet Native American, which she thought she had gotten from her mother, with natural tanned skin and long black hair that she kept in a constant braid –nothing fancy–, but she had hazel eyes, a 'Eden' green as her mother described.

"I'm Mercy; by the way, I recall we didn't really give out names." She introduced with a small smile.

Emily nodded her head, "I overheard," She admitted, "This is your husband's house…Adam, and he has a daughter around my age, Jesse." She looked down ashamed, "Sorry, I've learned to shut it out, but sometimes I can't help by eavesdrop."

"That's fine, don't worry about, and in fact just learn to do it more." She gave a reassuring grin, "More than likely someone is listening in on you." She glanced over her shoulder, but no one was in view.

"That's kind of creepy, but I understand, werewolves, the fae, and well…I'm not even sure what I am."

"I call us walkers." She said standing up, Emily pushed off of herself and stood.

"Okay, I can turn into a lion, how about you?"

Mercy smiled, "I can turn into a coyote."

Emily quickly followed Mercy up the steps onto the porch, "Isn't the cliché that dogs and cats don't get along?" She snickered.

"I suppose I should introduce you to my cat Madea, she's never been the type of cat to follow trends." Mercy seemed amused.

The porch they were on, which led to the back yard, led into what was meant to be a dining room open to the kitchen. The house was so large that there was a separate room near the front of the room used as a dining room. The house was more like a mansion. Emily had never entered a house as large as this, and she was amazed that there were enough things to decorate the place.

Adam, Mercy's husband, was starting to cook in the kitchen. He had dark features, but more Slavic than Native American. He had brown eyes and dark brown hair, cut short. He was tall, muscular, with straight posture that reminded Emily she was slouching.

"Jesse is currently at her mother's, but you'll be able to meet her this weekend." He said with a glance of his shoulder. He smiled at the two, more at Mercy than Emily.

"Oh," Emily blushed, so maybe he had been listening in. She avoided looking at his face, her parents had explicitly warned her about looking into the eyes of a werewolf, some advice they got and passed it on to her.

"I can show you to the room you'll be stay in, if you want." Mercy suggested, she moved towards the foyer, where Emily's large duffel bag and backpack rested near the door, there were also stairs leading up stairs.

She nodded her head, "Yes please."

Mercy took her duffel bag, heaving it over her shoulder; Emily plucked her backpack from the floor. It held most of her electronics she knew she couldn't live without, her cell phone, mp3 player, laptop, and kindle. She also had a sketchpad, her favorite drawing pencils, her bible –despite everything in the world that contradicted God she still believed–, and her favorite book signed by her favorite author giving her words of encouragement to continue chasing her dreams.

"Over there is Adam's and my bedroom," Mercy pointed to the door to left of reaching the top of the stairs, she took a few steps towards the right, and pointed at another door, "That's Jesse's bedroom, towels will be here," She said motioning to the double doors to a closet, and turned to the other side, of the wall, "Bathroom," She pointed to the nearest door, "Bedroom," then on the other side of the closet previous indicated, "another bedroom," She pointed forward, at a set of double doors, "That's the pack boardroom." She pointed to a small door hiding to the right, "And you can do laundry here."

Emily did her best to take it all in, but she'd probably do better by exploring herself.

"Oh, there is also a bedroom downstairs, so you have the choice of three bedrooms to pick from. Um this bedroom," She said patting the bedroom door next to the laundry that also seemed next to Jesse's room, "shares a conjoining bathroom with Jesse's room," She pointed across the hall, past stairs leading downstairs, "But that one has a walk in closet."

Emily slowly nodded her head, thinking over her options.

"The downstairs bedroom has its own bathroom."

"Why does he have such a large house with so many bathrooms?" She asked with an exhausted sigh. First the long drive here, than the long wait for her parents to go over everything and ensure it was okay to leave Emily here, and now she was feeling isolated by a strange environment full of predators that her instincts told her to naturally stay away from.

"Oh, he's the alpha here, so it's his job to ensure a safe place for his pack."

Emily shivered at the thought of being in a house filled with werewolves, "Is it really alright for me to stay?"

Mercy nodded her head, "Of course," She said without the slightest doubt.

"I'll stick with this bedroom," She said picking the one that would share the bathroom with Jesse. It was a nicely decorated room, a bed, dresser, a small closet that would be just right for Emily, and a nice view of the road.

Mercy set the duffel bag on the bed, while Emily set the backpack by the door.

Emily let out another sigh, one to calm her nerves and reassure that she could get through this, that his was only another obstacle in her life that she could overcome. Mercy left her with a small smile and retreated downstairs.

Emily fished around in her backpack, retrieving her laptop and charger. The internet Wi-Fi was password protected. She groaned, realizing that she would have to go downstairs to ask. She decided she would after they ate. So she started going through her music, trying to find the song that she had been humming earlier.

She didn't have any lyrics she could go by, which irritated, she only had the tune. It was nice to focus on something other than the now; it also stopped her from listening in on them talking below. She turned the music up a bit so she could sing along with her favorite songs while she fixed her hair in the bathroom. Although she didn't need a mirror to braid her hair, it helped sometimes when she wasn't sure if her braid was going towards one side.

Emily could smell that dinner had finished, she closed her laptop, cutting of the music, and started for downstairs. She took the stairs that she had gone up with Mercy, not too sure about the stairs just across from her room. She wasn't up to exploring just yet.

Adam was setting the table in the dining room, eating together just after meeting was intimidating. She searched for Mercy; she was less intimidating. Mercy was in the kitchen just barely in sight. Emily tried not to fidget where she stood, battling wither to ask if he needed help or just remain where she was.

"Uh, before we eat…" She rested a hand on the back of a chair, "Is it okay if I say a prayer?" She blushed, "It's okay if not. I can say it in my head…"

Adam gave her an eased smile, "Sure, that's fine."

Emily stared down at her hands, embarrassed. She wasn't good with strangers and extremely shy around males especially; maybe because she was an ignorant teen all too aware of the media selling its image of the 'average' teen.

Once Mercy joined them Emily said a short prayer of thanks for the meal and the opportunity they had to spend it together. She was flustered the entire time, to conscious of their thoughts knowing she was being silly for it.

"Do you wear a cross necklace or something similar?" Mercy asked as they were seated with food on their plates.

"No." She replied, not sure wither to give a reason. She didn't have a reason, just the thought that a cross didn't exert her faith.

Mercy nodded her head, "I have a lamb instead, its effective against vampires."

Emily dropped her fork, she had known that they existed, but how could a cross really stop something intending to eat you. She felt her face heat up.

"Sorry, I was just thinking how a cross could…or a necklace stop a vampire?"

Adam smiled, "It's the belief, but I don't know how well it protects, I'm certain Mercy is different… I suppose you would be in the same category as Mercy wouldn't you?"

"I hope I don't come across any vampires than," She picked up her fork, "I wasn't expecting to meet a werewolf either…"

They ate the rest of the meal having a bit informative conversation here and there. Most news socking Emily, like there was a werewolf that had power over Alpha's in Northern America called the Marrok. He lived in Montana, and apparently Mercy had been raised there. That the Marrok's son, Samuel a werewolf and a doctor, was living in a newly built house where Mercy used to live with a human named Gabriel.

"Will I get to meet other werewolves?" Emily asked Adam, trying to hold back a yawn. After eating it was easy to realize how tired she was.

Adam shrugged, "I'm sure, I'll have to introduce you to them, for your safety."

Adam had cleared the table as Mercy had talked to Emily, occasionally adding a bit himself. Now he had settled back down, next to be Mercy.

"Please excuse me. I've got to get ready for bed." Emily said fighting off another yawn, but she was so curious to know more. The news didn't get information like this, and for good reason. She paused in the threshold, "Is it alright if I get the Wi-Fi password?" She asked almost forgetting.

"Oh," Adam didn't seem to have even thought about it, "Sure, I'll write it down, there are quite a bit of numbers in it."

Emily nodded her head, "I'll remind you in the morning." She said with a polite smile before heading up the stairs.

Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.


End file.
